AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Cami rushes through the rain toward me. “Go. I’ve got him.” Worry creases her face in lines.
“Nathan’s heading out too,” Law says as I pass by on the way to my Jeep parked next to him.
“Tell him to head for the hiking trails. We’ll meet him there.”
Law nods and hops back into his truck.
I climb in my Jeep, crank the engine, and back my way down the driveway. A short pause is all I give before backing into the road and taking off, Law following close behind.
Halfway down the road, I crank the heat, warming the car for the possibility she’s been out in the cold for a while. Wipers at high speed send the water sluicing away in all directions, but my visibility remains nonexistent.
My fingers twist the fibers of the steering wheel as I drive by the place we met. The likelihood that her phone died and she’s riding out the storm is slim. Even with a request for space, she’d come to me during inclement weather. She knows me well enough to know I’d come looking if she didn’t. Hell or high water. Literally.
“Fuck,” I growl, hearing a ping from hail hitting the roof. Could this get any worse? Thinking about the possibilities gnaws my stomach in answer. Fucking yes, it could.
She could be hurt.
She could be lost.
I might not be able to find her.
She could have left.
The last one forces my foot harder against the gas pedal, the engine revving at the burst of speed.
She wouldn’t leave me. Not without telling me. Not without speaking her mind in that easy-going way she has about her.
But the alternative is she’s injured, so for the moment, thinking she simply left is easier.
The last turn to the trail appears suddenly, disguised by the sheet of rain pouring around me. A sudden burst of lightning streaks across the sky, illuminating the entrance. I crank the wheel and direct the Jeep up the modest slope, leaning forward in my seat as if the new position will enhance my visibility.
The white Lexus is the only car in the lot. The passenger side faces me, but the rain obscures any occupants inside.
I slam my shifter in park fifteen feet away, not caring about running the remaining distance. The engine purrs beside me as I take off in her direction. Water pummels my face, trickling down my neck beneath my hood. The cool droplets do nothing to stave off the hot worry simmering beneath my skin.
I don’t need to cup my hands against the window to tell it’s unoccupied. I do anyway, a hollow
ache at finding it empty. My gaze follows the direction of the trail we hike as I round the hood, coming to an immediate halt when I glance the other way.
“Anything?” Law asks above the sound of rainfall.
“Evie!” I roar, the chains on my emotions falling free at finding her.
Propped with her back against the driver’s side of her car, her pale face tips to the drenching heavens. Her closed eyes and the tint of her normally pink lips send a spike of fear from head to heel.
Gravel pops beneath my shoes as I skid to a stop and drop to my knees beside her. Rocks stab into my knees through my jeans, but the sensation hardly penetrates the fog of fear.
“Are you hurt?”
Her teeth chatter behind blueish lips. Her head rolls to each side once in what appears to be her answer before she changes direction, nodding her head forceful and continuous.
“Yes!” she screams, instantly tearing my heart into two at the obvious anguish. Her fisted hands punch the solid ground on either side of her while she draws her knees to her chest.
“Baby, Rosie, stop. Stop!” I command, needing to break through to her. I grab her soaking hoodie and haul her into my chest, wrapping her tight. “What’s happened?”
“He’s gone,” she divulges in the barest whisper. A clap of thunder punctuates the finality of her words.
“Who’s gone, baby?” I ask gently, already forming the answer in my gut without her confirmation. A crack of lightning precedes her response.
